Honors and Accolades
National Blue Ribbon School
Monta Vista was named a National Blue Ribbon School in 2014, one of only three high schools in the state of California awarded this honor. To learn more about the program, visit the US Department of Education website, view the List of Selected Schools or see the Blue Ribbon Information webpage. Monta Vista was also awarded as a National Blue Ribbon School in 2008.
California Distinguished School
California Department of Education awards schools based on their Gold Ribbon Schools Program, awarding different types of schools at different times, based on student success, with attention paid to impoverished and diverse students. Monta Vista was found to be a California Distinguished School in 2006, 2012, 2019 and 2021.
US News Gold Medal Award Winning School
US News publishes a list of the top high schools each year. In 2018, MV ranked at #13 in California, #121 in the National rankings and #7 in the National STEM rankings based upon a formula which includes graduation rates, college enrollment rates, AP/ACT/SAT participation and scores, and the number of counselors at a school. Monta Vista has also ranked in this and other popular media lists as an award-winning school in prior years.
Newsweek Top STEM High School
Monta Vista was ranked at 69 on the Newsweek list of Top 500 STEM High Schools for 2020. Over 30,000 high schools were analyzed over a three-year period to determine the rankings.
AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award
The College Board's AP® Computer Science Female Diversity Award is given to schools for attaining high female student representation in AP Computer Science Principles and recognizes the importance of diversity in computer science. MV's leadership in this area demonstrates that our school prepares our female students for the high-paying, in-demand jobs of the future and gives them the opportunity to help solve some of society's most challenging problems. Monta Vista has received this award in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.
Monta Vista Teacher Kavita Gupta named 2019 National Geographic Educator of the Year
Kavita Gupta of Monta Vista High School has been chosen as the first ever recipient of the National Geographic Gilbert M. Grosvenor Educator of the Year award. The Gilbert M. Grosvenor Educator of the Year Award was created to honor an educator for exceptional achievement in education focusing on exploration, science and conservation in their work, and is named after the National Geographic Society’s former president and chairman of the board of trustees who also served as Editor of the National Geographic Magazine for many years. National Geographic shared that Kavita was chosen for her dynamic teaching style, which engages students through innovative, technology-rich and student-centered curricula. Read more on the National Geographic website.